Prelude

The sedan moved slowly throughout the streets of Washington DC. President Johnson was resting sideways with his back to the backseat window. He forced his hazel eyes open as he listened to the exited machinegun pace of General Key’s words, “Mr. President we’re down in the damned polls eighteen percent but if we do another tour before next month we could be back on top.”

“No!” he said banging his skull angst the window in frustration.

The President was lately not a happy man and for the last six months he constantly sported a grim face. He wanted out badly and would have resigned ages ago if it weren’t for Key. Key was the only thing that was keeping him afloat in the poetical world and he had blackmailed him with some of his darkest secrets with the government had taken many risks to conceal from the general public.

Johnson leaned back further and blinked, would he really tell the public? He doubted he would because if he went down Key was sure to burn with him. Johnson was not the poster boy Commander Chef the public wanted, not at all.

He had black hair that was doted with gray but it was always hidden behind a thick coat of hair dye. When he was in high school he was never valedictorian or on the football team when they clamed their victory at state he simply didn’t care where his life led him.

He had obtained his 4.0 grade average each year by less than morel means by sleeping with the principal’s daughter; after she would slip into her father’s office and change the grade. My god what does she think of me now? Thinking back on it he guessed that all the bad things that happened to him could be linked to those passion filled, loveless, deceitful nights. He was jerked from his flashback from Genial Key’s words.

“Have you forgotten about are arrangement Mr. President? Or do I need to remind you?” he said a sinister grin cracking across his wide lips.

“That won’t be necessary I am fully aware of your intentions,” he said rubbing his face carefully.

He did not know why he said it but it was too late. The general’s pig like eyes blinked in quick spasms before he clapped a hand on his tiny knee and said, “Good Johnson I’m glad you see it my way.”

The President soaked in the general’s ugly features. He was 5’3 with thinning gray hair and slanted teeth that hid under his oversized lip. There was nothing overly treating about the joke of a man but he still was not the kind of man you wanted to piss off. There was a story that burst out of the newspapers that he jailed a congressman because the man had lunch with suspected terrorist.

His wife who had been sleeping with her head resting in her husband’s lap rose and yawned deeply. She had brown hair that covered her blue eyes and was slender and a musical laugh that would fill an entire room.

“Are we back yet dear?” she asked with her usual kindness.

“No Ann just go back to sleep. Shh.” He held her body in his arms like a small child’s and rocked her back and forth until her eyes closed.

She was a good wife to him and his best friend. All those painful years she had stuck by him had truly had been a gift. When they had gotten out of collogue she was nine months pageant with his child.

There was a low hissing sound as an RPG passed over the car. He knew the sound well after servicing in the Rangers in all conflicts in the Middle East during the 1990s. He had been present at the Black hawk down incident and helped in the night evocation.

He pushed his wife downward to the floor as the RPG smashed into a crowd watching the motorcade pass by, the car was misted with flesh and blood. A second RPG hit the cars gas tanks and they were replaced by a ball of fire. No one survived.